The Nets ended the first half of the season Wednesday with a tough 129-125 loss to Milwaukee, another gut-wrenching defeat that brought them even further into the NBA cellar and that much closer to some dubious league history.

The Nets (9-47) squandered a career night from center Brook Lopez, who had a season-high 36 points, hit 6-of-10 from 3-point range and matched a career-best with eight blocks. Lopez was the first player in NBA history with eight blocks and six 3-pointers, and they still lost. That’s just shows how poorly the Nets played on defense.

“I just wanted to go out on the All-Star break in the right mindset,” Lopez said. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t get the win as a team. But we played well together. They made some big shots down the stretch.”

The hapless Nets watched All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 33 points and nine rebounds, while center Greg Monroe added 25 off the bench. They allowed 72.7 percent shooting in the first quarter to set the tone and 56.8 percent for the game, falling behind by 13 and never quite able to close the gap.

It was fitting the Nets didn’t defend anybody because they haven’t defended their homecourt once in 2017, going 0-16 during the stretch.

Brook Lopez scored 36 points.Getty Images

The Nets’ 14-game losing streak is the longest in the NBA this season, but their club-record skid at home dating to Dec. 26 is far worse. There are just two longer home droughts in league history, Dallas’ 19 straight (Nov. 11, 1993-Jan. 21, 1994) and Philadelphia’s 18 in a row (Jan. 17-March 21, 2014).

The Nets trailed 95-82 going into the fourth quarter, and it was 113-101 after Khris Middleton’s jumper with 6:29 left. But Brooklyn mounted a 14-4 run, with Lopez’s 3-pointer pulling them within a deuce at 117-115 with 2:59 to play.

Spencer Dinwiddie (19 points, eight assists, five boards) had a late 3-pointer overturned, his long jumper getting the Nets within 123-121 with just over a minute remaining. But Antetokounmpo scored inside to double the lead. Lopez lost the ball but dove on the floor for the loose ball and got fouled, hitting both free throws with 28.2 seconds on the clock.

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But Middleton sank a pair of his own to put them in a four-point hole. Randy Foye’s tap-in of his own miss kept them alive, but after fouling and seeing Middleton sink both once again, Lopez missed a last-ditch 3.

Milwaukee (25-30) are just a game behind the Pistons for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They had lost a dozen of their last 16 games, but got well Wednesday against the Nets.

“Things change,” said Bucks coach Jason Kidd, who pointed the Nets to back to back NBA Finals while in New Jersey and later coached the team in Brooklyn. “They’ve got a great coaching staff and with Sean [Marks] there as GM [they’ll win]. It takes time. You have to be patient. It’s not always fixable with just one player.

“Sean and the people they’ve got here, they’re not going to just sit here and continue to lose. They’ll get players here [and turn it around].”